African-American artist Nina Simone, also an activist in the American Civil Rights Movement, experienced the most important turning point of her life when the Curtis Institute of Music rejected her application as a student because of the color of her skin. Simone expressed her disappointment at being deprived of the opportunity of becoming the first Black classical pianist in the United States. This racist incident gravely impacted Simone’s life and forced her to work in bars. Later, she decided to write her own song lyrics. Some of those songs became revolutionary icons as they fueled Black people to be proud of who they were, united them against white supremacy, raised their self-confidence, and urged them to discover themselves and cherish their Blackness and culture.
Simone lived long enough to witness the era of many icons of the Black struggle in the United States and worldwide. A little while before she died in 2003, she was surprised to receive a honorary diploma from the same institution that had rejected her in the past. This compels us to pause for a moment and think about the racist structure of the colonial mind: What exactly happened to make the Curtis Institute of Music apologize for their racism against Simone? Why would such a racist power, enjoying superior privileges, reconsider its position vis-a-vis the rights of the oppressed? The answer lies in the legacy of the cumulative resistance of Black people.